UNAOC-BMW Group Award for Intercultural Innovation Application guidelines 2011

AWARD FOR INTERCULTURAL INNOVATION

UN ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS

BMW GROUP

Application guidelines 2011

www.unaoc.org/unaoc-bmwgroup-award

UNAOC-BMW Group Award for Intercultural Innovation Application guidelines 2011

The United Nations Alliance of

Civilizations (UNAOC) and the BMW Group

are launching the BMW Group Award for

Intercultural Innovation in support of the

Alliance of Civilizations, under the auspices

of the United Nations (UNAOC-BMW Group

Award for Intercultural Innovation).

Through this first global call for proposals,

the UNAOC and the BMW Group will select

the most innovative projects that promote

intercultural dialogue and cooperation

around the world.

The first UNAOC-BMW Group Award

Ceremony will take place in Doha, Qatar in

December 2011, during the IVth Annual

Forum of the UNAOC held in the presence of

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and

world leaders. A highly competitive selection

process has been set in place to guarantee

that projects are selected for outstanding

achievement in creativity, excellence and

proven positive impact.

Since it was established under the auspices of

the UN Secretary-General in 2005, the UNAOC

has been involved with grassroots level

through initiatives that promote cross-

cultural understanding and cooperation

among peoples and cultures through

preventive diplomacy. This work is supported

by a group of Friends – a community of over

120 member countries and international

organizations and bodies.

The BMW Group, with its multinational and

diverse workforce, has long been committed

to promoting intercultural understanding.

Since its renowned Award for Intercultural

Learning was initiated in 1997, the BMW

Group has continuously supported innovative

projects and committed individuals all

around the world who have implemented

their visions of an intercultural, cosmopolitan

society into reality.

The partnership between the UNAOC and the

BMW Group exemplifies public-private sector

cooperation in building pluralistic and

integrated societies as a key factor in

preventing conflicts and contributing to

prosperity, security and peace.

WHY A UNAOC-BMW GROUP AWARD

FOR INTERCULTURAL INNOVATION?

Intercultural dialogue, understanding and

cooperation is a process whereby people

from different cultural backgrounds and

systems of beliefs interact, communicate,

negotiate and enrich each other. In this

process, individuals exchange concepts and

perceptions and build a shared vision of

society and the world. Beyond just peaceful

coexistence, interculturality is a dynamic

process that helps individuals and

communities to learn about and understand

other cultures. Furthermore, it enables

President Jorge Sampaio, High

Representative for the United

Nations Alliance of Civilizations

“Stronger cooperation for

intercultural dialogue, a

wide engagement at grass

roots-level, but also

leadership at all levels, are

all indispensable driving

forces for change.”

Photo © Aaron Lee Fineman

UNAOC-BMW Group Award for Intercultural Innovation Application guidelines 2011

individuals to move away from isolationist and

mistrustful attitudes and it encourages them to

embrace diversity as a core value of peaceful

and sustainable societies.

In the past decades, numerous projects and

programs around the world have addressed

issues related to cultures in contact with each

other. However, in this fast changing world,

where social media and the Internet are

continuously reshaping our perceptions and

scientific developments are allowing faster

travel and communication, innovation in the

field of intercultural exchanges appears to be

essential.

Both the UNAOC and the BMW Group are

strongly committed to creativity and

innovation. Indeed, the Dialogue Café

initiative or the Rapid Response Media

Mechanism are only two examples of the

UNAOC’s commitment in increasing

intercultural understanding through novel

methods. Correspondingly, the BMW Group is

a leading innovative company in the use of

new approaches to corporate responsibility.

For that reason, the Award will acknowledge

brave initiatives that dare to think outside the

box, rethinking intercultural work and

making an important use of new methods to

promote intercultural understanding and

cooperation. The Award represents a unique

platform for civil society organizations

committed to the promotion of cultural

diversity and understanding.

AWARDS

Winners of the selection process will be

announced at the Award Ceremony in Doha,

December 2011, following which the UNAOC

and the BMW Group will contribute resources

to support development of the projects. Total

amount of price pool will be USD 50,000.

In addition, selected projects will become

members of the World Intercultural Facility

for Innovation (WIFI), a program of the

UNAOC in collaboration with the BMW Group.

The goal of the WIFI is to connect inspiring

grassroots projects with media, donors,

governments and other partners in order to

help them in scaling up, replicating and

achieving a broader and greater impact.

Based on a case by case needs assessment,

the best ten projects will receive during one

year active guidance and support from the

WIFI team in order to replicate and expand

the range of action of their projects. They will

also benefit from partner organizations that

will support the selected projects in

collaboration with the UNAOC and the BMW

Group. This support may vary depending on

the nature of the project and may include IT

support, legal advice, increased visibility, etc.

“We want to encourage people

from different backgrounds worldwide to

initiate an open dialogue and to

join hands in promoting

intercultural understanding.”

Harald Krüger, Member of the

Board of Management of BMW

AG and Chairman, Award for

Intercultural Commitment

UNAOC-BMW Group Award for Intercultural Innovation Application guidelines 2011

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Projects implemented by Civil Society

Organizations (CSO).1

Projects must have an intercultural

approach to diversity as defined

above.

Field of action must fall within one of

the following thematic clusters:

migration and integration;

intercultural awareness; education for

intercultural citizenship; the role of

specific groups (faith-based; women;

youth; media) in promoting

intercultural understanding.

Projects must implement new

approaches and methods to

intercultural understanding.

Preference will be given to small-scale

projects with the potential to create a

broader impact (implemented by

organizations with 20 or less

employees).

Willingness to develop ideas and

expand the range of action of the

project with the UNAOC, the BMW

Group and other partners.

Projects cannot have been winners in

previous editions of the UNAOC

Marketplace of Ideas or BMW Group

1 According to the World Bank the term CSO refers to

“community groups, non-governmental organizations

(NGOs), labor unions, indigenous groups, charitable

organizations, faith-based organizations, professional

associations, and foundations.”

Awards. Winners of past editions can

submit different projects, however.

Organizations must have been

operational for a minimum of 2 years.

Projects submitted within this call

should have been launched already

for 12 months minimum.

Projects can be implemented in any

language.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Eligible projects will be evaluated against a

comprehensive set of criteria. These criteria

include three main categories:

The project:

Relevance: is appropriate to the local

context and targeted audiences in

which they are implemented.

Quality: undertakes an in depth

analysis of problems/risks and set a

consistent intervention strategy.

Clarity: sets clear objectives and

draws a logical connection between

activities, outputs and outcomes.

Innovation: pushes beyond boundaries and excels in the use of original and novel methods (social media, arts, pedagogical approach, innovative training, etc.).

Measurability: impact of the

intervention is assessable (i.e. number

of beneficiaries, polls on attitude

change, external assessments, etc.)

UNAOC-BMW Group Award for Intercultural Innovation Application guidelines 2011

Sustainability: demonstrates ability to

be sustainable in the mid-long term.

Replicability: has the capacity to be

replicated and scaled up in different

settings. This is a key evaluation

criterion.

Originality: are submitted for the first

time to a UNAOC or BMW Group

competition or have been improved

since last submission.

The applicant (CSO):

Organizational structure: is capable of

achieving the goals set in the project.

Intercultural commitment: has proven

interest and commitment in

intercultural dialogue, understanding

and cooperation (e.g. past reports,

reference letters, etc.).

Work plan and budget: has set a

realistic budget to implement the

project.

Transparency: has made genuine and

demonstrable efforts to adopt a policy

of transparency.

Equality: has adopted equality and

diversity policies as reflected in staff

members, membership and activities.

The application:

Clarity: shows an effective

communication of ideas and provides

relevant examples.

Conciseness: provides clear and

concise responses to questions.

Persuasiveness: includes insightful

arguments and engaging narrative.

TIMELINE

October 16th, 2011 at 12:00 a.m. EST:

deadline for submissions.

Applications received after that

deadline will not be considered.

First half of November 2011: a

selection committee will select the

most outstanding projects. Shortlisted

applicants may be required to provide

further documentation including a

detailed budget and a detailed activity

plan of the project (using a template

to be provided). The selection

committee reserves the right to

inform its decisions to only the short-

listed applicants.

Second half of November 2011: an

international jury composed of

renowned scholars, experts, and

members of the BMW Group and the

UNAOC will announce 20 finalists that

will become members of the WIFI. A

group of 10 projects will be awarded

a diploma. The other group composed

of the best 10 projects will enter the

final stage of the competition.

December 11-13, 2011: the top 10

proposals will be invited to present

their projects at the IVth Annual

Forum of the UNAOC in Doha, Qatar.

The final results will be announced

during the Award Ceremony that will

take place during the Annual Forum.

UNAOC-BMW Group Award for Intercultural Innovation Application guidelines 2011

APPLICATION FORM

Applicant Information

Family Name Given Name

Street and number

City State Postal Code Country

Telephone Fax Email

Organization information

Name of CSO

Main field of action No. of employees Established in

Location (street, city, country)

Website (if any) How did you hear about us (optional)

Applicant’s position within the organization

Project information

Title

Main field of action Time running (in months)

Was the project submitted to previous UNAOC or BMW Group competitions? (Y/N)

Date (MM/DD/YY) Signature

UNAOC-BMW Group Award for Intercultural Innovation Application guidelines 2011

Project concept

Please reply to the following questions in a clear and succinct fashion. In order to ensure a fair

competition, maximum number of words must be strictly observed. Please, write the question

number before its respective paragraph.

1. Briefly describe the rationale behind your project: what situation or issues does it address?

What is the target audience? What are the objectives? (max. 300 words)

2. Briefly describe the main activities and initial outcomes of the project. (max. 300 words)

3. Demonstrate how your project innovates in the promotion of intercultural dialogue,

understanding and cooperation. (max. 300 words)

4. If your organization is selected as a winner, how would you use the support received from

the UNAOC and the BMW Group to maximize the impact and benefits to your target

audience and the world in general? (max. 300 words)

5. Why should your organization be selected as a winner of this call for applications? (max.

300 words)

Please, submit the completed application form together with your project concept in English,

French or Spanish, as well as any accompanying material such as pictures, videos or other

multimedia material to WIFI@unaoc.org. You can also send it by ordinary mail to:

UNAOC-BMW Award for Intercultural Innovation

United Nations Alliance of Civilizations

The Chrysler Building, 405 Lexington Avenue, 5th Floor

10174 New York, NY, USA

Deadline for submissions is October 16th, 2011 at 12:00 a.m. EST.

For more information, please, visit http://www.unaoc.org/unaoc-bmwgroup-award/ or contact us

at WIFI@unaoc.org

Only duly completed application will be considered. All personal data provided to the UNAOC is kept

confidential. By signing and submitting this application form, applicants agree to the publication of his/her

name, the name of the participating organization, its address and other submitted materials in the WIFI

website and any media now existing or subsequently developed, for any UNAOC-BMW Group purpose.